Untouched.

Chapter ten.

The vibration of my phone was what woke me up from my horrific dream. I was very in love with my phone at that moment, considering it was distracting me from my wildly beating heart. I thought back to yesterday, having to remind myself that the Lexi lying next to me was real.

Scanning the line, I saw her. Her eyes were red and her hair was scraped off her face. Her clothes were baggy and she had her pass in one hand and tissues in the other. "LEXI!"

Everyone turned to face me and then back to the desk, too interested in getting on their plane. But Lexi turned to face me, gasping when she saw who it was. "Kate?" She whispered.

I ran up to her, tugging her out of the line. She anxiously looked towards the doors. "Don't do this. Don't go. Please, don't leave," I begged, gripping her hand and pleading with my eyes. "Please," I breathed again.

She sighed, closing her eyes and then looking at me, shaking her head. "No, Kate. I need to go. There's too much drama here. I... I don't fit here. I'm failing with coursework, I'm not ready for exams and I'll never make it to Massachusetts."

She blinked rapidly, moving her shoulders back and forth and head from side to side. I gripped the back of her neck, massaging the fine hairs there. "Please. I'll help you. We'll work our arse off! Study for days straight! I'm here, I can help! Don't go, please!" I begged.

She bit her bottom lip. "Don't say stuff like that to me." She looked back to the line that was nearly at its end.

"I'll be better. We can go on dates. I'll cook your dinner. I'll worship the ground you walk on. Just, please, come home." I pulled her head forward and her eyes flickered to my lips.

"Miami is my home, Kate."

I shook my head. "No, your home is here in England, with me. And then at the college, with me. Look I know we're young and this is all new and I know we're not in love or anything that deep yet. But I can see there is something here. Something that could be beautiful, and I don't want to let that go."

I pulled her head the rest of the way and kissed her softly. "Come home... come to prom with me." I grinned as I pried the ticket from her hand and she let me.

She grinned back at me, sniffing softly. "Okay."

I grinned, my eyes widened with joy and excitement.

"Are you boarding? We're closing the doors now." Lexi turned to the red-headed attendant and shook her head. "No, I'm not. I'm going home." And her eyes sparkled.

We left the airport shortly after and Lexi rang her parents to explain her change or mind. Her dad was kind of annoyed because he'd brought her ticket but her mom was happy for her to come back. We ended up at her house, me and mom for dinner.

It was a great night. Take out and movies, board games, and laughter. We were both lectured in equal measures. My mom hadn't forgotten the fight, and Lilian was aware of how hard Lexi had to work. But we understood what had to be done from that point, and where our lives were going.

We were going to prom together but because of our radical behaviour it was only going to happen if Lexi met every deadline and sat every exam, and I apologised to Lucy for the injuries I had caused her, managed to sort my own coursework out, and paid penance for the fighting by cleaning the house every day I was excluded.

Honestly, my mom and Lilian seemed to bounce off each other and relished doling out the punishment and guidelines to mine and Lexi's meek faces. They seemed to be becoming best friends, and somehow, despite how mad my mom was at me, I managed to convince her to let Lexi stay over.